A Texas Uber driver who was shot by his passenger — who erroneously thought he was kidnapping her into Mexico — died Wednesday after his family decided to take him off life support.
Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, had been at University Medical Center since Friday, when Phoebe Copas, a 48-year-old Kentucky woman, shot him while they were traveling on US 54 from the west side of the city to Copas’ destination in the lower valley.
Copas was arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, as CrimeOnline previously reported. She was given a $1 million bond at a hearing on Friday.
Court documents say Copas told police she saw an exit sign for Juarez, Mexico — just across the Rio Grande from El Paso — and thought her driver was kidnapping her, so she shot him, KFOX reported.
The court documents also say that Copas didn’t call 911 right away after the shooting. Instead, she took a photograph of Piedra Garcia and sent it to her boyfriend. She also telephoned the boyfriend before finally making the 911 call.
It’s not known if authorities will upgrade her charges now that Piedra Garcia has died.
Didi Lopez, the driver’s niece, said many family members learned about the shooting from news reports “but we never even imagined, it never crossed our mind that it was going to be him.”
“He was really excited to be driving for Uber. He was already providing for his family; not only that he was meeting so many people,” Lopez said.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Daniel Piedra Garcia/family handout]
